Electric lamp.



E. WEINTRUB. ELECTRIC LAMP. APPLICATION FILBVD H5114, 1910.

Patented F9113, 1914.

za 2.0' '/f LWTNESSES'; f INYLENTDH K UNrTED srans PATENT operon.

EZECHIEL WEINTRA, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC LAMP.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Original application led February 26, 1902, Serial No. 95,662. Divided and this application filed May 14,

To all Lo/10m, it may concern Be it known that I, EZEUHIEL IVEINTRAUB, `al citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Lamps, (being a' division of my application tiled February Q6, 190:2, Serial No. 95,66%) of which the following is a specification.

The invention which I have hereinafter described and claimed relates to methods of producing light by electricity and to certain improvements in electric lamps of that type in which electrical energy is converted into light 'through the medium of vaporous or gaseous matterl maintained in a lumines' centcondition bythe electric current. I-n an application vfiled concurrently herewith, I have described and have claimed' broadly certain features of invention whereby a lamp of this character may be started into operation, together with other correlated features unnecessary7 here to mention.

In the present application Ifpropose to disclose certain arrangements *for securing automatic operation of the lamp, the novel features of which arrangements will be ypointed outin t-he following specification, in which- 4 4 Figure 1 represents one embodiment of mv invention, Fig. 2 a modified detail and Fig. 3 a different form of the invention.

I will premisemy description of these detailed arrangements by stating that in lamps of the general character mentioned, various difhculties and disadvantages have heretofore been attendant upon the means employed for starting the arc. The usual method of starting, of which 'of course there are various modifications, is to impress upon the terminals of the lamp, for a certain period or periods, a high elcctromotivc force. many til-nes greater in value than the normal electroniotive force at. which the lamp is intended to operate. This starting electromotire force apparently operates to break down the'high initial resista-nce betwccn thc electrodes of the lamp whereupon the lamp starts.

)ly present invention. among` other valuable features. provides means operating automatically upon turning on the current whercbv a lamp of the type mentioned will Serial No. 561,293.

electromotive force no greater than that impressed upon the lamp circuit by the ply mains. The starting is performed by producing locally within the lamp ionized vapor which, by the migration of its ions or by some other operation the nature of which is not known with certainty.y plication of the normal voltage to the terminals of the lamp to start. the lamp into operation. After the lamp has been started, the supplemental or auxiliary source of ionized vapor may be cut out of circuit and to perform this function as well as to initiate automatically the production of ionized vapor,.I may make use of the arrangements shown in the drawings above referred to.

Referringto Fig. l, the lamp will be seen to consist of a main tube l of indefinite length, indicated by the dotted lines 2. AAt either end of the lamp are electrodes, the lower electrode consisting in the present 'instance of a body of mercury filling a narrow downward extension 4 of the lamp and also a small portion of the main body of the tube as indicated. Inthe ripper portion of the tube is located the other main electrode, consisting of a somewhat bell-shaped body 7 of suitable material as metal or graphite. This electrode communicates through a sealed-in wire 8 with a body of mercury 9 contained in an exhausted chamber 10 out of which extends a wire 1l sealed through the walls of the chamber, the projecting end of the wire forming one of the external terminals of the lamp.

The lamp itself is exhaustedl to as high a degree of vacuum as possible. the process of preparing and cvacuating a lamp being set forth in the application above referred to. which process however forms no portion of the` invention claimed herein. That the vacuum thus produced may be maintained in as perfect a condition as possible. the electrode 7 .is connected with the exterior terminal 1l through the evacuated chamber l0 as a precautionary measure'.

Communicating with the main tube l is a chamber 1Q of somewhat cylindrical shape. the lower cud of which is contracted as at l?, and filled with mercury up to the level suflicicnt to cover the connecting neck ll of the tube and thereby atlord electrical connection between the body of mercury 3 in permits the apmunicating chamber 12. Within the chamber 12 is mounted a body of magnetic material consisting in this instance of a rod or a bunch of iron wires 15 contained within a glass tube 16 from which the air has been exhausted. Located within proper relation to this iron rod or bunch of wires is a solcnoid 16 which, when energized, is adapted to withdraw the tube containing` the iron core to a greater or less extent out of the mercury in which it .is partially immersed. ln order that the movements of this tube within its inclosing chamber shall not endanger the walls of the chamber, the tube is provided at its ends with springs 17-18 ad apted to serve as bu'liers. 1n order to render the displacement of the tube 16 as great as possible, the spaces between the iron and the tube may be llled with mercury.

Current may be supplied to the lamp from a suitable source of current,l and connection therewith may be made by mains indicated at 19 and 20. One of these mains, as the main 19, may be connected to the lower terminal 5 of the lamp, while the other main 20 through a switch 21 may be connected to the upper terminal 11 of the lamp. The leadvextending from the `switch 21 is connected through the fixed contacts 22 and 23 of a cut-out apparatus 24e to a sealed-in terminal 25 of the lamp which terminal communicates with the mercury in the tubular chamber 12and forms anA auxiliary or supplemental electrode forthe lamp, the terminals 5 and 11 acting as the main terminals during operation.

In series with the circuit between the main 20 and the auxiliary terminal 25 is ther solenoid 16 and a current limiting resistance 26. The main terminal 11 of the lamp is connected to the same supply lead asthe auxiliary terminal 25t land the conductor forming thisconnection includes therein a' resistance 27 and the solenoid or magnet 28 of a cut-out device 24, which magnet acts upon a core 29 carrying a bridging contact adapted when no current'fiows in the solenoid or magnet to bridge over the fixed contacts 22 and 23, and to break this bridging connection when current does flow magnet or solenoid.

ln the operation of starting the lamp, the switch 21 may be closed, thereby first causing current to pass through the solenoid 16 and through the body of mercury in the lamp to the other terminal of the source of current. The resulting current, which is limited in value by the resistance 26, causes the tube 16 to be lifted out of the mercury by the action ofthe solenoid 16', thereby lowering thc level of the mercury and opening the circuit through the same at or about the point 30. The resulting arc or discharge which takes place causes a liberation of 65 mercury ions which operate to set up the in the flow of current through the main tube between the main'electrodes of the lamp. As soon as this current commences to flow, the cut-out device 24 operates and interrupts the branch current initially flowing into the lamp at the terminal 25 and maintains the same out of circuit until'the main current is for any reason interrupted, whereupon the operation above described is repeat/ed.

instead of inclosing the iron constituting the armature or core of the solenoid 16 in a 'glass tube, it may be arranged as shown in Fig. 2, to be movable longitudinaiifygof a guiding tube 31 located as shown within the chamber 12. Both ends of the armature may be provided with buiier springs indicated at 32 and The guiding tube 3 1 has a small opening 34 communicating, above, the surface of the mercury, with the chamber- 12 whereby its contents may be evacuated when the evacuation of the main tube takes place.

ln Fig. 3 is shown a different arrangement for securing an automatic starting of the lamp. In this case the lower main electrode consists as before of a body of mercury 34 while the supplemental electrode likewise consists of a body of mercury 35. The level of the mercury of these two electrodes is such however that the mercury does not quite bridge over but leaves i gap as at 36. Carried by the tube in any suitable manner is a body of magnetic material 37 in coperative relation to which is mounted a solenoid 38. Thisl solenoid is connected in a circuit beL tween one ofthe supply mainsr20` and the suplemental electrodel 35. A resistance 39 connects the electrode with the other supply main 19. When the main switch 40 is closed, the solenoid 38 attracts its core 37 carried by the lamp which may be suspend ed by the ring41 or otherwise so that it may swing. With proper adjustment yof parts the motion produced by the solenoid 38 causes a momentary fiow of the mercury between the electrodes 34 and 35 so as to connect the same, which flow, as it recedes, opens the circuit between the electrodes and springs an arc, setting free the ionized mercury vapor which operates to start up the main tube. As soon as`the main current commences to flow, a cut-out 42, arranged and connected like the cut-out 24 in Fig. 1, opens the circuit of the solenoid 38 and renders the same inactive until the current through the lamp ceases to How, whereupon if the switch 40 still be closed to the mains the operation above described is repeated.

In the lamps which I have above described, the electrodes at the upper end ot' each lamp. as represented at 7 in Fig. 1 and at 443 in Fig. 3, maybe made of any one of a number of different materials such as iron or graphite. Of these l prefer the latter lao the space between them I since it does not readily occlude gases, or, if it does, then it readily gives them up; nor does it, when heated, undergo chemical change such as to generate gases, thereby impairing the vacuum of the lamp.

Although the Aautomatic cut-out to which 'I have heretofore referred may be used or not, as desired, to interrupt the supplemental or ,auxiliary circuit, it need not always, when used in this connection, be arranged to interrupt the circuit but may, under certain conditions, be employed to vary the resistance of this circuit by opening or closing a short circuit about a portion or all of the resistance in this supplemental circuit; and further it may, if desired, be adjusted so as to perform these functions at any selected current value. Thus if it is desired to run current in the main tube at a low value, for example, the cut-out may be arranged so as to short-circuit a portion of the resistance in the supplemental circuit, thereby increasing the current flow therein and so maintaining stable operation of the lamp at the @elected low current value. Or it may be adjusted to reduce the supplemental circuit current when the main are starts, as when the main are is in operation the supplemental are Will What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The combination of a vapor apparatus supported so as to swing or o-scillate, magnetic means for oscillating or swinging said apparatus, and electrodes in said apparatus adapted to be brought into engagement or separated by the swinging or oscillating movement.

2. A mercury Vapor apparatus comprising an exhausted container, electrodes therein adapted to be alternately connected and disconnected Within the container by-good conducting material, and electro-magnetic means adapted to move the said container and athereby initiate a flow of current through the mercury vapor.

3. A mercury vapor device comprising a movable container for mercury, electrodes 'therein, said container being adapted to occupy either of two positions in one -of which positions it is held by gravity, and automatic means brought into action by current flow for tilting the device into the other position, whereby metallic connection between the electrodes is alternately made( and broken.

4. A mercury vaporapparatus comprising an exhausted container, electrodes therein adapted to be alternately connected and disconnected within the container by goed conducting material, and automatic means adapted to move said container and. thereby initiate a iow of current through the mercur vapor.

n witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day ot May, 1910.

EZECHIEL VVEINTRAUB.

Witnesses:

Jol-1N A. McManus, Jr., CHARLES A. BARNARD. 

